Very few ladies of the East Oregonian can be called slaves to the beauty industry. Most of us are too busy, too bookish or have a life filled with other pursuits. (see the East Oregonian blogs for an in-depth look. Too in-depth? Perhaps.)

Still, who can resist a bag full of new beauty product samples? One scene at the Hermiston office this week was so filled with giggles and rhapsodic sighs one could practically smell the estrogen in the air.

One reporter, with technical assistance from the media department, applied several products on discrete areas of her face. Then, with her fancy work slacks rolled to the knee, she gleefully smeared self-tanner on her milky white legs. Another reporter supplied a running commentary on how silly the other women looked, and attempted to take pictures of the scene while dodging shoes and the occasional sock.

But the testers persevered in the face of adversity, and behold – the results of their effort. All the products tested are new on the market or newly redesigned.

Foundations – Our testers tried three liquid foundations, Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse, Max Factor ColorGenius and L’Oreal Infallible Makeup. They also tried Covergirl Trublends microminerals makeup. There were a number of positive comments about the liquid foundations – one tester said the L’Oreal “was light, had great coverage and lasted for a long time.” Another said the Revlon did a good job of concealing blemishes and evened out her skin tone nicely. But at least one tester said the liquid foundations were “too makeupy” and difficult to blend into the skin. The winner in this category was hands-down the the powder foundation for its ease of application and feel.

“It’s just a lighter, freer feeling,” one tester said.

Bronzer – The testers tried two kinds: Revlon ColorStay Mineral Finishing powder in golden bronze, and loved it. Several of them enjoyed the bronzer more than blush, because it adds an all-over “healthy glow.” The other was Physicians Formula Bronze Booster.

Blush – Testers liked the color of Revlon’s matte powder blush in Rose Rapture, but found one had to apply a great deal to see it on the face. Not so with Maybelline Dream Mousse blush – “A little goes a long way,” one person said.

Self-tanner – The color one gets from Neutrogena’s Build-A-Tan is nice – not too orangey like some self-tanners. And it has a nice smell. But take care to apply only a small amount at first, in a consistent spread, or you will get the tell-tale streaks and dark spots.

Lipgloss – Testers chose Revlon’s Beyond Natural Cream over Almay pure blends lipgloss in peony for its gentle color and moisturizing feel. It made another tester’s lips wrinkle up a little, though – not good.

Scents – Our testers smelled a plethora of new summer scents. Their favorites were Chanel Chance – “It was light, feminine and more floral than pungent,” according to one tester – and Calvin Klein’s Euphoria, which manages to smell exotic, sensual and fruity all at once. Two new fragrances from the celebrity couple Victoria and David Beckham, however, are boring and induce headaches.